


Bruised Apple

by Diary



Series: Where the Apple Falls [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Canon Character of Color, Conversations, Disturbing Themes, Family, Friendship/Love, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Kate Argent-centric, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Minor Chris Argent/Victoria Argent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 16:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6159880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reposted under a different title. “Man up, Hale, and just ask which of your little betas called me when you wouldn’t,” she orders. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruised Apple

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Teen Wolf.
> 
> Author's Notes: First, I didn't save all the names of the fics in this series. When I reposted this, I thought it was 'Sliced Apple', but then, I found a different fic saved under that title. So, that's why the title suddenly changed. If anyone remembers the original titles of my reposted fics, I'd be grateful for a comment telling me.
> 
> Second, canonically, Kate's full name is Katherine. 'Kathlena' is an affectionate nickname used by a friend of hers in this fic.

Pouring a glass of wine, Chris says, “I’ve never seen her like this.”

Victoria pulls him into a hug. “We’re going to figure out what’s wrong and do whatever we need to in order to fix it.”

“Mom? Dad?”

They break apart and look over to see Allison standing nervously in the kitchen’s doorway.

“What is it, sweetheart,” Victoria asks.

“I think I might know what’s wrong with Kate.”

Leading her over to Chris, Victoria says, “You need to tell us, Allison.”

When she hesitates, Chris wraps an arm around her and kisses her head. “Your mother’s right. I’m very worried about your aunt, sweetheart. We want to help her.”

Allison sighs. “Derek- Derek Hale- he’s her friend. I don’t know if you knew that, but they’re actual friends. I mean, I don’t really understand it. She once tazered him just because he said something she didn’t like, and she killed his uncle, but the way he looks at her- and she never seems to be afraid of him hurting me.”

Victoria starts to say something, but Chris cuts her off with a headshake.

Seeing this, Allison says, “Anyway, as I was leaving town, I ran into him. He was checking out books from the library. He literally had more than a dozen. I helped carry them to his car. They all had to do with pregnancy. Some were on abortion, some on parenting, some on adoption, and some were just on pregnancy in general. I asked him if someone special was pregnant, and he said yes.”

“But-” she hesitates. “But then, he changed his answer and said he was just curious. I could tell he was lying, but at the time, I didn’t think it was important.”

Grabbing Chris, Victoria inquires, “Does he not have internet access?”

“He’s not allowed to use it,” Allison answers.

Giving her a look, Victoria says, “He’s an alpha, dear. I know you might not understand fully what that means-”

“Kate told me he sucks at using computers,” Allison says. “He’s only allowed to use the internet with the supervision of her or someone in his family. Apparently, he’s agrees that this is for the best. Dad, what are you trying to do?”

“Your father thinks Derek might be the father of Kate’s potential baby, sweetheart,” Victoria answers. “The keyword is potential. We don’t know for sure that she is. Or that he is.”

“If she is, shouldn’t we focus on her right now instead of whoever the father is?”

Chris sighs, and Victoria releases him. “You’re right, sweetheart. I’ll go talk to her.”

“I can’t say for sure he’s not, but I don’t think he is,” Allison tells them.

…

 _Let her go, Gerard_.

A knock on the door startles Kate out of her daze. Sitting up, she calls, “Come in.”

“How are you doing,” Chris asks.

“Better,” she tells him. “Don’t worry, I’m leaving on Friday.”

“You don’t need to leave,” he tells her. He sits down.

“Trust me, I do.”

Sighing, he says, “Kate. If something’s going on, you can tell me. I’ll help you.”

Feeling suspicion set in, she looks at him closely. “Oh, God. You’ve figured it out, somehow.”

“Figured what out, Kate?”

“I’m pregnant.”

She thinks he might wear himself out with sighing.

“Is Derek Hale the father?”

Out of all she the things she was prepared for, this isn’t one of them, and she finds herself laughing and scoffing at the same time.

“Chris, he was my student,” she reminds him. “Then, I killed his uncle in front of him and his baby sis. And finally, I threatened to kill him, his entire family, and his new betas if they tried to stop me from killing the druggie who locked Allison and Scott in the freezer. Now granted, I’m a little screwed up when it comes to men, and let’s face it, it’s no secret I’m up for a lot of interesting things, but there are limits. Even putting all that aside, no, the kid whose homework I checked and once held his hand as I walked him to the door of his house isn’t the dad.”

“Who is?”

“This is the part where you lose it,” she tells him. “Daddy is a werewolf. Just not Derek.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking, heads, I give birth, tails, I have an abortion, and if the coin lands sideways, I take my handgun and kill myself; if it lives, you get to make the decisions.”

“For the record, that last one is why I’ve wanted to take your weapons since you got here.”

“I’m going to be charitable and assume it’s the part where I have the bullet in my brain rather than you potentially having to decide the fate of my orphaned kid that makes you want to take a hunter’s weapons from her.”

“It’s the part where, for everything I’ve ever had to worry about hurting my sister, until now, her being a literal danger to herself has never been one of them.”

“I’m not going to hurt myself, Chris. Joking just helps me cope.”

“If you do have it, what’s it going to be?”

“25% chance it’s a werewolf, 75% chance its human.”

“How far along are you?”

“Chris, you’re not going anywhere near the baby daddy.”

“Okay,” he agrees. “Whatever you decide, I’ll be here for you. And if you decide to keep it, and it’s a werewolf, we’ll figure things out.”

She lies back down. “The thing is, I’ve figured out I do want a kid someday. But I’m not sure about this one. Is that screwed up?”

“I’m not trying to influence your decision, but: No. If you decide to have a baby later on, when you’re more ready, you’ll be a good mom. If you have this one now and keep it, you’ll be a good mom.”

“I have a class full of students who’d say otherwise.”

“You said most of your students liked you, including Derek.”

“Derek’s a bit of an outcast, and the rest- you and I didn’t get along when we had that conversation. I don’t know how they felt about me, but it was an easy class.”

Standing up, he walks over, pulls her against him, and sits down.

She closes her eyes and lets herself be held.

…

Two days later, the decision comes easily after she gets an email from Trey, a hunting buddy.

_Kathlena, I’ve been tracking an alpha named Marco. He’s heading to Beacon Hills. From what I’ve gathered, he has a grudge against the Hales. Do you want me and Juan to keep pursuing him, or are you taking over?_

She sends an email back confirming she’s taking over and makes an appointment to get an abortion referral.

...

“I want to go with you.”

“Yeah, your mom and dad will be all over that idea,” Kate comments.

Folding a pair of jeans and putting them in the suitcase, Allison says, “We could convince them.”

“Sweetie, I’m fine. That ‘no exercise’ thing is bull. I promise I’ll stick to showers and, if I need them, pads.”

“I’m not worried about you,” Allison says. “I mean- that came out wrong.”

“So, you are worried about me?”

“I always want you to be safe,” Allison says with a slight glare. “And until your follow-up check-up, I want to make sure you don’t miss any potential warning signs. But that’s not why I want to go.”

“Midterms kicking your ass?”

“I kicked theirs,” Allison retorts. “I think I could probably test out, if I wanted. We’ve been talking about that.”

Sitting down, Kate asks, “So, what? With Scott being out of town-”

“All my life, I’ve wanted to feel strong. In that freezer, even though I was just following instructions, when I was able to pull Scott through the window and grab his inhaler for him, I finally felt like I had done something worthwhile.”

Continuing, she says, “I gave Derek a ride, and you helped him find out what happened to his mom and sister.”

“Pretty sure he regrets that,” Kate says.

“You did it to make sure he didn’t order the deaths of any humans who couldn’t protect themselves,” Allison replies. Before Kate can answer, she continues, “I know how important it is to protect humans. That’s what you, Mom, and Dad do. But besides you, who protects people like Derek and his family? I can help.”

Feeling a surge of pride, Kate hugs her and kisses her head. “That’s my girl.”

…

In the Beacon Hills forest, her phone vibrates, and she rolls her eyes.

“Chris, unless this is an emergency, I’m busy,” she hisses.

She climbs up a tree.

“But you’re okay?”

“Chris, I’m literally stronger and healthier than I was a few days ago. No more suicidal tendencies. Allison’s doing fine.”

“If you need backup-”

“I’ll call. Bye.”

She hangs up and readies her rifle.

When she sees Cora Hale walk into view, she represses a groan.

Cora tenses, and the alpha attacks.

Putting her finger on the trigger, Kate pulls it as soon as Cora’s head is out of the way.

The alpha falls on top of her, but Cora rolls over and stands up.

When Kate climbs down, she turns around and finds herself face-to-face with a yellow-eyed werewolf.

Most werewolf faces look angry to her, but this one looks particularly angry.

The werewolf lunges forward, and pushing her foot against the tree to propel herself, Kate grabs the arm, shifts her weight, and flings the werewolf away.

She hears a familiar voice proudly comment, “I’m pretty sure this is the work of my aunt.”

As she listens, she looks down to see the werewolf clawed her on the stomach.

Taking a breath, she starts to walk and promptly runs into Allison, Derek, and Isaac.

Seeing the scratches, Derek takes a deep breath. “Kate.”

“I’m fine,” she assures them. Isaac reaches over to take her hand. “Don’t worry. I had an abortion.”

“Is that why you smell different,” Erica inquires.

“Probably so.” Isaac lets go of her hand. “Good job, kid,” she comments. “You took just the right amount away.”

He beams.

Cora, Boyd, and Erica appear with the latter two dragging the werewolf.

Allison frowns and starts to step over with her knife poised, but Kate grabs her. “Hey, believe me, I understand the anger, sweetie, but you don’t want to get into the habit of keeping doling it out after the perp’s already down. Both law enforcement and your parents frown on that sort of thing.”

…

In the Hale bathroom, Allison offers, “I could do that.”

Stitching the scratch, she says, “Sweetie, your hovering is making me nervous. Go find out where we can get some guava juice.”

“On it,” Allison agrees.

…

While Allison is having her nails painted by Erica

(“I’m not really into that girly stuff,” she said.

“Neither are we,” Isaac said. He held up his blue and pink nails. “Just be grateful she’s not experimenting with actual makeup this time.”

“The punk rock look was awesome on you!” Erica protested.

“Why aren’t Boyd’s nails painted?”

“She hasn’t gotten around to it, yet,” Boyd answered with only a barely glance up from his book. “She gave me a pedicure, first.”)

Kate and Derek talk.

“What are you doing here, Kate?”

“Man up, Hale, and just ask which of your little betas called me when you wouldn’t,” she orders.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Actually, none of them,” she says. “I got an email from a hunter in Saratoga. But you know, I distinctly remember making it very clear that, whatever I decided to do, you should call me if something starts attacking this town.”

“Marco, the alpha you saved Cora from, was one of Deucalion’s betas,” he tells her. “When Deucalion was blinded, Marco tried to kill him. He almost killed Marco in return. After that, Marco went out, found another alpha, and killed her. He started to create his own pack. When he heard about Deucalion’s renewal of his treaty with my mother with Peter, and then, me, he decided to come here.”

Hmm,” is her response. “So, what are you going to do with that beta you have locked in the basement?”

“I’m going to see if I can figure out where the rest of Marco’s pack is and if whoever inherited the alpha power can be reasoned with.”

…

“Thank you for dinner,” Allison tells Derek. She cuddles with the alleged tortoise.

“Make sure that thing doesn’t end up in my car,” Kate orders. She finishes putting the leftovers in the backseat and adds, “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t fit the code.”

“Aunt Kate, you aren’t killing Cora’s pet,” Allison declares. “And you didn’t even want that last bite of chicken.”

“That doesn’t mean it had the right to eat off my plate.”

“It,” Cora declares, “has a name.”

“A Sicilian name that only you can pronounce.”

“I’m not the only one,” Cora retorts. “And considering your-”

“Cora,” Derek says.

Reaching over, Cora takes the potential proof the theory of evolution might actually be wrong from Allison and goes inside.

“We’ll call when we get to the hotel,” Kate says. Allison gets in the car. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll call us if Marco’s pack attacks.”

He nods.

…

“Do you think Cora will ever understand why you did what you did?”

“I don’t know,” she answers.

She remembers the gun Chris pointed at her and Victoria holding a knife against her throat when she’d finally decided she’d sneak into the damn house because Chris wouldn’t let her see Allison.

The person who’d been on the receiving end of the above had mostly been gone by the time a green-eyed boy let her grip his shoulder in the woods, but getting from wanting to burn the Hale family alive and teasing one of the Hale kids about McCarthyism had been a rocky road. She’d done things during those years, if Chris had known about them, her vague depression and increasingly causal jokes about suicide wouldn’t have surprised him, at all.

Of course, if any of them knew about those things, she’d be either dead or persona non grata to both her family and Derek.

“It’s possible, but as long as she stays within the code, it doesn’t matter whether she ever does or not.”

Whatever Allison says is drowned out by the sound of all four tires being slashed.

Kate curses, pushes Allison down as far as she can, rolls down the window, and shoots.

The gunshot is loud in the air, and the werewolf falls to the ground.

Allison screams, and Kate quickly slaps a hand over her mouth. “Damn, you’ve got a set of lungs on you. Listen, sweetie, I’m going to go get help. You stay in the car, okay? You stay until someone you trust comes to get you. Lock the doors. If someone comes near the car that you don’t know, you stab or shoot them, okay? It doesn’t matter if you get one of the Hales by mistake. They can heal.”

Allison nods.

Removing her hand, Kate kisses her on the forehead. “I love you, baby girl.”

“I love you, too,” Allison answers.

Grabbing a knife and Taser, Kate gets out of the car, waits until she hears the doors lock, and starts running. “Come on!”

Her stitches pop, and she’s crosses cutting herself off the list.

When she sees the Hale house in the distance, she yells, “Hale! Derek!”

A werewolf drops down beside her, and she Tasers them into the moonlight. Seeing it’s not anyone she recognises, she shoots them through the head and hopes it wasn’t some innocent werewolf trying to play Good Samaritan.

She runs until she finds herself tripping over a tree stump.

“Oh, come on,” she mutters. “Really?”

Just as she’s managed to stand up on what she suspects is a broken leg, the Taser’s knocked out of her hand, and she feels a sharp pain in her chest as she’s pushed back down.

Looking up, she sees red eyes and bloody teeth.

The alpha disappears, and she looks down to see a large, red bite mark between her shoulder and breast.

_Born werewolves can’t help not knowing what abominations they are, Katie. It’s fine for children to want to be magical, but those who’d willingly give up their humanity to be a literal monster- When a hunter is bit, they can die human, or they can be even worse than those that we hunt._

Taking a breath, she takes the knife out of her pocket.

 _She wouldn’t understand, Katie. Allison will always be in danger if you don’t do it,_ she imagines Gerard would say.

Irritated at her shaky hands and tears, she deliberately moves her broken leg, takes a steadying breath, and starts to bring the knife towards her.

_It’ll go in easy. You’ll barely feel it. Death is nothing to fear, child._

Her arm’s wrenched back, and the pain causes her to let go of the knife; it flies away.

Looking up, through her tears, she sees blue eyes glinting in the moonlight.

“Hale,” she hisses.


End file.
